Harsh criticism of Handball World Cup: "The bubble is a joke"

Monday, January 4th, 2021

Harsh criticism of the Handball World Cup
"The bubble is a joke"

Criticism from the league, top stars who are thinking about a rejection: The bubble concept against Corona causes a heated and controversial debate at the beginning of the preparations for the World Cup for German handball players. Mainly because the organizer wants to let spectators into the hall. For some this is "madness".

Anxiety? Maybe the World Cup as a super spreader for the coronavirus, which is raging around the world? "No", says Alfred Gislason firmly, referring to the "very detailed concept" of the Egyptians "similar to the NBA". In the championships in North Africa you will be "safer than at home, where we occasionally have to go out shopping. That's why I'm not afraid and I'm looking forward to the tournament."

The national coach's anticipation for the mega tournament on the Nile (January 13th to 31st) can by no means be shared by everyone in the Bundesliga. The club bosses fear an uncontrolled outbreak among the 32 participating teams and see a great danger for the league operations after the World Cup. "The alleged bubble in Cairo is a joke," said Carsten Bissel, head of the supervisory board at HC Erlangen, in an interview with SZ. The three-time world handball player Mikkel Hansen from defending champion Denmark is therefore considering waiving the tournament.

In view of the massive criticism of the safety precautions of the World Cup host, the upcoming neighborhood duel in the European Championship qualification against Austria (Wednesday, 1.45 p.m. / ZDF) in Graz, one of two remaining international matches for the German team before the World Cup, took a back seat.

Spectator? "What madness"

The "alleged hygiene concepts", according to Bissel, "defy description. There is a high probability that there will be massive infections of the players in Cairo, with the consequence that afterwards the Bundesliga game operations could be thrown up even more than it is already the case. " The Bundesliga manager, whose club is releasing two German and four other national players, thinks that such a World Cup tournament "at the height of an unprecedented pandemic is not sustainable from a socio-political point of view". Bissel also referred to the admitted spectators (the organizer is currently planning a hall capacity of 30 percent): "What a madness."

That's why Hansen told the newspaper "Jyllands-Posten" about his possible cancellation: "I would be lying if I said that I hadn't thought about it yet, and I still do." Games in front of spectators could be a "danger" for the stars. Before Bissel, Jennifer Kettemann, managing director of Rhein-Neckar Löwen, had already announced her worries "about our players" in "Mannheimer Morgen": "This is not about machines that we send to Egypt." The criticism from the top clubs from Flensburg and Kiel has long been documented.

The German World Cup drivers are closely following the public discussion, and above all there is the anxious question: Will the bladder hold up? While family man Fabian Böhm, despite all the anticipation, spoke of a "queasy feeling" with which he was flying to Egypt on January 12th in a sports show interview, goalkeeper Andreas Wolff believes the harsh criticism that has been brought about by the German league for weeks inappropriate. "Of course the situation in the world is difficult, but I have absolutely no concerns," said Wolff.

Some people would forget in the current discussion that "it's also about the survival of our sport. I am no friend of doubting or canceling everything. Handball is not just our passion. It also finances our carefree life. There should be too." we think about it. "

Gislason also leaves no doubt about his stance on this topic and refers to nations such as Norway, Denmark, Croatia or Slovenia, where there were no corona-related cancellations by players. "Especially at this time when handball is having a hard time, our sport needs this World Cup", says Gislason: "We come to the public service and show people: We are there. I think the event is right."